


Royalty Shmoyalty

by StrawhatsAndDelibirds



Category: One Piece
Genre: M/M, Royalty AU, guard/prince relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-02
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-04-12 12:34:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 20,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4479401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrawhatsAndDelibirds/pseuds/StrawhatsAndDelibirds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You're the best at everything, there's no need to doubt yourself." -alcohol</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sneaking out was always the hard part. The castle always had so many guards set up on night watch, but there was always that magic window during the changing of the guards where he could sneak out of the castle if he did it right. Then he was free to wander the town and talk with the masses in a more casual setting and not just the seemingly endless needs of the people who came to seek council with the King and Queen. Those made the walls outside the castle gate seem like everything was on fire all the time and everyone was just dropping like flies from the super plague. In reality, it was more of a simple cold going around and all the melodramatics storming the castle. It made sense because it always seemed to be the same lot of people.

But sneaking out let him do more than just socialize with the masses, he also got to enjoy all of the pleasures of partying with people who weren’t trying to kiss his ass to get a high status and cushier life. He had the luxury of not having too many public appearances, but that was mostly because a lot of those events were stupid and he just didn’t feel like going. Luckily this meant he just got to be Ace for an evening and not have to worry about one day ruling the kingdom and finding someone to marry. As cushy as the job of being the crown prince was, it had some pretty shitty side effects, like ruling the kingdom. Nothing a little alcohol and lively company couldn’t make him forget for at least a little bit.

Sneaking back always felt easier, but that might’ve been simply because he was a little drunk and had reached the point where he felt like he could do anything. If he had been sober he would have seen the guards roll their eyes and let him pass, but drunk he felt like a fucking ninja who had timed all his moves perfectly. That reminded him. Before he went to bed, he had to talk to the head of the guards. His body guard was a jackass and wouldn’t shut up about how much he was like his father. He was probably still looking around the castle with the other guards. They didn’t even know he snuck out yet. That’s fucking hilarious!

He stumbled into the house. And as if he had seen into the future or read his mind or something, the Captain was standing there, arms crossed and face scrunched up in disapproval.

“Shit.”

“And where were you, yoi?”

“Haha, you kinda sound like a mom. Momma Bird Marco” Ace giggling in a drunk stupor, his mental filter all but lost. Marco didn’t find it nearly as funny.

“You know you’re not supposed to leave the castle without your body guard, let alone without telling someone.”

“But that’s the whole point of sneakin out, Momma.” He could barely get out what he was trying to say without more giggles bursting from his lips.

“You reek of alcohol. Were you out drinking again, yoi?” It was an obvious question, and it didn’t really need to be asked. Yet it had to be, just in case it was something worse on top of that.

“Maaaaybe.” Marco slid his hand down his tired face. It was too late for this shit.

“It’s late, I’m putting you to bed before you cause any more problems.” A strong arm came under him and kept him steady and helped him keep his balance as they went back to his room. Ace kept giggling, still proud of his Momma Bird joke from earlier until he abruptly stopped.

“Oh! Marco! I gotta ask you a thing.” An eyebrow rose on the captain’s face as his interest was caught.

“Yes, yoi?”

“I want a new bodyguard.” Marco decided against telling him that wasn’t a question, as that was a pretty hopeless endeavor when the freckled prince was sober.

“I can’t get you a new bodyguard every time you decide you don’t like them.”

“But Maaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrcoooooooooooooooo.” Ace whined, dragging out the captain of the guard’s name all together to long. It was then followed by a continual whine that from past experience he knew would last until he finally gave in. It’d only be back tomorrow when Ace saw him again, hungover or not. Knowing a losing battle, Marco sighed and conceited.

“All talk to your father about it tomorrow, yoi. If it gets his approval, then I’ll allow it.” And then it’d be the kings turn to deal with it.

“Thank you, Momma bird.” Even drunk, Ace could tell that had he not been both great friends with him for years and the crown prince, Marco would have dropped him then and there. Part of him told him to wisen up before it did happen regardless.

Now he just had to find a way to talk his father into doing it. It’d be harder because his whining techniques didn’t work on him. He was the old master of it and they’d be at it for days or until his mom got mad at them. So three days tops. He had yet to best the old man at his own game, but it still worked on Marco and other members of staff at least. He had to come up with a plan, an ingenious plan that would work one hundred percent without even a little room for failure.

It was a good thing he was brilliant at everything and was the current master of negotiations. He could probably make the leaders of two groups that’ve been fighting for years make up and fuckin hi-five or some shit. Whatever old people did to signify that they were cool now.

They walked into his room, and Roger was sitting there on his bed waiting for him.

“Ace you can’t-“

“You’re too late! Marco already parented me so in your face you old bastard HA!” Ace interrupted. And as if someone had switched off a light switch somewhere in the crown prince’s brain, he was out like a light without any warning at all, sending the two of them to the floor. Marco let out a startled grunt and Ace was snoring before he hit the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Later Marco committed murder, but thats besides the point.

“Hey! Look what the cat dragged in! Glad to see you’re up early, Prince Ace.” Thatch teased as Ace trudged into the kitchen before all but collapsing onto the counter in a melodramatic effort to get pity for being hungover. He had all but assaulted the guard that had come to try to wake him up this morning, and so he ended up sleeping through breakfast and was really feeling it now. It was still too early for this despite it being nearly eleven by now.

With his efforts failing, he decided to respond with a groan and probably the laziest middle finger he had ever given anyone. He really didn’t appreciate the chuckles that escaped the cook’s lips shamelessly.

“I guess someone’s still in a bad mood.” The teasing wasn’t going to end, especially since the guard must’ve come downstairs to share his horror story. The rest of the guards must’ve chimed in too with some of their own. Hell, Thatch and his parents probably did too. He didn’t really care right now. He was hungover and hungry and anything that wasn’t food or going to help his hangover didn’t really matter right now.

“Thaaatch… Foooood…” Ace whined, prompting the man to laugh at him again. So rude. He was really lucky that he liked his food and he was a great guy most of the time. He really didn’t need to take this kind of abuse. He was hungover and he wouldn’t laugh at him like this if he was in his place.

Okay that’s a lie. But still not cool.

“Alright, just go sit at the table before you barf in my kitchen.” Ace made sure to make a scene of walking over to the table because of all the abuse he had gotten from his friend just now. He made sure that all his groaning was well heard as he made a spectacle of pulling out and sitting at a chair at the table. He wasn’t quite sure what he was planning on getting out of this scene, but he felt like shit and had to be sure that the world was well informed.

He was glad that Thatch knew him well enough to just know what he wanted. He didn’t have to ask, Thatch always seemed to know. Ace couldn’t help but wonder if it was because he was a great chef and knew what the situation called for, or if it was because he was a great friend and knew him well enough by this point to know what kind of food he liked best.

He was already busying himself in the kitchen by the time he sat down. Or at least that’s when he noticed. He was too busy making a scene before to notice. It was always kinda cool to watch him cook. He was always so in his element in the kitchen. Just the way he did things so precisely, but still being able to absentmindedly sing a tune as he did so. Had he been feeling up to it, he would have been testing just how attentive he was in the kitchen and try to see if he could sneak some food from behind his back. It’d be stupid, but at least it’d be funny to see him all riled up for once and not the other way around.

He did catch him wave at someone who passed by the doorway. By the time he had turned his head, they were gone. He only got a glimpse of the back of his uniform, their must’ve been changing guards again. Was it that late already, or was this just a counter measure to mess with him after he snuck out last night? Either way it just made him regret that he was too hungover to try and steal food, because that would have been the perfect chance.

He perked right up when his food was brought to him. For a prince, you’d think his table manners would be better, but Ace was never one to properly meet other’s expectations. He did act a little more proper with other people, but Thatch was the kind of guy who didn’t care so long as you enjoyed the food.  Had Marco been there he would have made a show of putting his pinkies up and eating daintily, making sure he was talking as pretentiously as he could. Not his fault that it was so fun to ruffle his feathers.

Shit that was a good one. He’d have to remember that one for later.

“So I heard you had a fun little talk with Marco last night.” Thatch said, taking the now empty plate back. He was so grateful for Thatch. That food was amazing, and he felt a hell of a lot better now that he had something in him. Turned out he was more hungry that hungover. Wouldn’t be the first time he made that mistake, wouldn’t be the last.

“Oh? This sounds like it’s gonna be good.” He really enjoyed his drunk stories after the fact. He usually said some pretty funny shit.

“Apparently you told Momma Bird that you wanted a new guard.” Momma bird? Did he?

“I called Marco, Momma Bird?” He asked, barely able to hold back his laughter. He got a nod from Thatch who was trying to hold back his own laughter before he went falling to the floor in a fit of laughter. Oh god that was too funny. He loved drunk Ace probably more than anyone. He couldn’t wait to call Marco that later. Hell, he might even get the new recruits in on it to. What was stopping him from the whole castle? Oh man that was too funny.

“Did it ruffle his feathers?” Now it was Thatch’s turn to lose his shit. He had him doubled over in laughter and banging his hand on the counter. Oh how he had wished he was there to hear it himself. Oh how he’d be pissed. He could still remember the last time they had told bird puns like that around him. His ass still hurt from being hung by the back of his pants on a pole in the training grounds for all the guards to see and learn from their mistake.

It still didn’t stop them though. It was just too good.

Once they managed to collect themselves, they went back to the matter before the bird jokes sent them into hysterics.

“So anyways, your dad said that this is the last time that you’re changing guards. Next one you’re stuck with until you scare ‘em off.”

“So I guess that means I have to pick a good one. I don’t want one who’s going to compare me to Roger this time.” That was the main reason he wanted his current one gone.

“Hey Thatch, any recommendations? You talk to my dad more than I do, who’s someone he’d really hate?” He watched as he contemplated a bit.

“There’s always that young guy who just started who works down by the library.” He paused. “Oh yeah, you know that room with all the boo-“

“I know where it is, Thatch. What’s his name?”

“Sabo.” Ace got up.

“Thanks for the meal, I’ll see you later. I’ve gotta find Marco.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damn Delaney, back at it again with those old ass aus

 

While he wasn’t exactly sure what time it was, Ace still had a vague idea what time it was. It was probably still morning, so that meant that Marco was still training the newer recruits. The more trained ones already knew the morning routine, and that meant that they could deal with themselves for a little bit. They also had a different court yard for them to train, and that one was a lot more treacherous than this one.

But that being said, it was probably going to be treacherous anyways if Marco was there. There was a damn good reason that he was the head of the guards, and it wasn’t just because he had been doing it for probably a couple centuries at this point and knew the position inside and out. There was also a damn good reason that their guards were probably some of the best trained out there. And that reason was Marco.

And had he himself not been well versed in the way Marco trained the guards, odds were that there’d be no way in hell that he’d be able to sneak out at night. It was hard enough as it was, and he knew for a fact that they just let him in those nights he snuck out so that his drunk ass didn’t end up in a ditch or something infinitely worse.

He also had the fact that they were more focused on something getting in, rather than him sneaking out. Sure they had been warned by Marco, but as many years as they had been trained against him sneaking around, he had probably spent more sneaking out.

But he’d reflect on his adventures sneaking out of the castle when he was just some snot nosed prince later. Right now he had official royal business with the captain of the guards. Because he had his asshole father’s permission to get a new bodyguard.

 He’d argue that he didn’t need a body guard, but that was a fight that he knew he’d lose, as it was a fight that he had been losing ever since he could remember. At the very least, if he was going to be stuck with someone watching over him for who knows how long, he wanted them to be at the very least tolerable, and not someone who he constantly wanted to punch in the throat because every word that came out of their mouth was just how much he was like his jerk off of a father.

And he had one that had been personally recommended by Thatch. And while Thatch didn’t train them or see much of their training, he was a great judge of character. As good as he was at picking out food and ingredients, he was probably better at pointing out people that made a good match for each other. So as he walked through the halls, he rolled the name of the guard on his tongue.

Sabo… Sabo…

Even if this did turn out to be a bust, his name was really fun to say. So he already had one thing going for him. Thatch knew how he felt about being compared to his dad better than anyone, so he had high hopes that this Sabo wouldn’t be an fuckwad like the rest.

It was promising to hear the distant sounds of combat and Marco barking commands. It meant that he was right on the money for his guess, and that he didn’t sleep in as late as he thought he did. Or that he did and that these weren’t the new recruits, but they were still some of the greenhorns. Even once you had been here for a while, Marco made damn sure that you were ready for what the other training yard had to offer.

As much of a tyrant as he seemed to be during training drills, he made sure he knew his men’s limits. The other training yard was no joke. He had been there a few times and while he took good care of himself most of the time, he didn’t even stand a chance to some of the guys that were there. And that wasn’t even talking about how badly Marco could wipe the floor with him. Really he was Lucky he was such a forgiving guy who didn’t want to kill the only heir to the throne and throw the kingdom into anarchy with his betrayal.

But friends were cool like that. They made sure they didn’t fuck you up too badly when you were sparring together, and they also didn’t throw your kingdom into chaos regardless of how much of an ass hat you were being. 

Speaking of being an ass hat, Ace felt as though he hadn’t gotten to enjoy ruffling one of his best friend’s feathers. Last time he did, he had been completely wasted, so he hadn’t had the chance to enjoy it properly. He swung the door open to the courtyard as dramatically as he could, and then slid in as it opened.

“Oh Mamma Bird~! I need to have a word with yo-“ His singing was cut short as a talon flew past his face and into the door behind him. It didn’t make contact, but it was close enough to startle the shit out of him. “Jesus, Marco! Close enough?!”

“That was nowhere near your face, yoi.” He said, turning back around as he plucked his partially transformed leg out from the wood to face his class. His leg turned back into a normal human leg in a plume of azure flames as he turned around. “And that is why behavior is one of the most important things I teach you in your training. One wrong move and someone who is much more skilled than you can easily take you out, yoi.”

Ace pouted playfully. He knew he was being an ass and had this coming, but it was usually never fun being the example for what not to do. Pouting never actually made Marco feel bad, but it did annoy him, so at least it was a little bit of a win for him.

“So I’m guessing this is about you getting a new bodyguard, right? Your father already discussed this with me this morning. I’m trying to figure out a good replacement for your current gua-“

“Don’t worry about it, Marco. I already have a guy in mind for the job. I know he’s perfect because Thatch picked him out, and Thatch picks out the traits that I really care about. Because we both know that I can handle myself in a fight, I’m not some little punk anymore.”

“Well you’re right about not being little anymore, but the punk part is debatable. I’m hoping that he’s at least a part of my guard and not just some blacksmith in town that you both enjoy the company of, yoi.”

“Nah, he’s the one you have stationed at the library right now. Sabo’s the guard I want to be my bodyguard, and he’s the only one that I’ll accept.”

Marco gave him a look of irritation. That meant Sabo was either a really old guy who refused to retire so they put him somewhere quiet and safe, some new guy that was learning the ropes still so they put him somewhere easy, or he was a troublemaker who was being put in book time out. He was hoping that it was the last one, because he was tired of being stuck with so many uptight guards. Either way, he had a feeling that Marco was going to have a little chat with Thatch later.

“Fine. I’ll have to give him extra training to make sure he’s up to the task. Out of all the guards that I’m training, you just had to pick one that joined a few months ago, yoi.” Marco sighed in resignation. They both knew that if he didn’t get his way now, he’d just make them quit until he got the one that he wanted. Ace knew he was difficult and childish, but it was working to his advantage, so he didn’t care.

“Great! So I’m guessing that he’s already on shift, yeah?” Because he would’ve been with the rookie class, and this was more like the intermediate class. So that meant he was probably already working. But Thatch might’ve also been working on their late breakfast when he was there.

“Yep, he should be stationed by the library. I don’t think you’ve ever actually been to the library. I could send someone with you so you don’t get lost, your majesty.” Marco teased in a way only a best friend could. The look on his face made Ace scowl and stick his tongue out at him in the most mature way possible.

“I’ve been to the library before. I know where it is. I’m going to tell him all about his new promotion.” Actually, it would probably seem more like a demotion. As much as he was on good terms with a lot of the staff, he wasn’t unfamiliar with the fact that they all dreaded the idea of being his bodyguard.

He didn’t take too much offence. If he was in their position, he probably wouldn’t either. Hopefully no one had the chance to warn the new guy about how much it sucked to work with him.

“Alright, just don’t cry when he’s disappointed about his ‘promotion’, yoi.” Marco teased.

“Like I’ve ever cried. Also you’re welcome, because now everyone’s going to stay in line for at least the rest of practice. Bye Momma Bird~!” He mocked, running off before Marco could even get to scold him.


	4. Chapter 4

 

 

Maybe he should consider going to the library more often.

Not because the books were interesting, but rather because he was stopped by almost every guard and asked where he was going. And then laughed at when he said where. While he wasn’t opposed to fighting the entire staff, it was really drawing this out and making it longer than it had to be.

He could only hope that his constituted for practice, because he was giving out shiners like they were presents and he was Santa Fucking Clause. He was gonna hear about this later, but right now he didn’t care. He may not have been for the title of prince because it came with way too many responsibilities, but they were guards so he should at least get a little respect from them. Really now.

Actually now he was lost because he was too busy fighting everyone to notice where he was going. Their castle really had no reason being this big. Now he had to figure out where he was, and then he had to go off from there. Or maybe find where he was, go to his room, and then trudge down there like a child and hope that muscle memory would do its thing and he’d just end up there.

Because truth be told, he hadn’t been to the library in a long time. He had finished most of his studies, and now he was more concentrated on fighting and battle tactics. He’d review more economics later, because right now the king and queen were in perfect health, and there wasn’t a threat of them dying anytime soon, so he’d rather focus on things that might be more relevant to him. His father had built up an empire, and an empire is something that is always coveted. It was more than likely that some hotshot nation would try to usurp them and take all the land for themselves, but they still had all the resources they needed to maintain themselves for a long time to come.

They also had dragons from a previous conquest years ago. Back when his father was nothing but some soldier that climbed the ranks, and then in a revolt against the old king and his ways, took the throne for himself. There were still a lot of rats out there that thought that they could just take his head and the throne in one fowl swoop, but there was a lot of reasons why that wouldn’t work.

If his dad died, then his mom would take over, and she would have the attempted usurper publically executed in some gory manner. His mom was a really nice lady, but she could probably kill a man if it meant it would keep her family safe. He wasn’t entirely sure that she hadn’t. But that was only if his father went down without a fight.

But his father was like a cockroach. He had seen pretty well everything happen to the man over the years, only for him to brush it off and laugh. Then the person who even dared to try just disappeared. He had a pretty good feeling that it was the work of his father’s body guard, who surprisingly wasn’t his mother.

Rayleighs was his father’s dragon, and one that had been around since before either of them were even born. Most wouldn’t know of his dragon lineage, as he rather dawn a more human form for convenience’s sake. He also served as probably the best advisor one could ask for. It had to do with thousands of years of experience.

Man, he had a lot more time to mull this over than he previously thought. He couldn’t remember where this train of thought had started, but it had ended in how in hindsight his dragon was not a really the best suited as position of royal advisor to the prince. They were both equally as impulsive, but at least he stopped and thought about maybe whatever he was doing was a bad idea before doing it anyways.

But his train of thought came to a halt when he ran into a face that he had never seen before. And by ran into, he meant walked into. It was probably the stupidest way to meet someone, and it felt like something like this had been done a million times before. But he just couldn’t place why.

The blond bowed as he started apologizing profusely and asking if he was alright. It seemed a bit odd, seeing as though he had merely been knocked a little off balance and stumbled back a little bit. And then the gears clicked in his head.

This guy must be one of the new guys.

Come to think of it, he had wandered to the mess hall absentmindedly. He really needed to think more with his head, and less with his stomach. He wanted to beat Marco to the punch and tell his new bodyguard about his promotion, and after that he could go and stuff his face as he pleased.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I rough around with the guards all the time. I even train with ‘em. You’ll learn soon enough that the royalty around here ain’t so fragile as one might expect.” He’d leave out the fact that he also rough housed outside of the castle at local taverns. The more guards out of the loop about that, the better.

“Ah, alright. Sorry. So where are you off to now, young master?” Now that was a term he didn’t hear too often. This must’ve been one of his first days actually working, and not just being trained. It was weird being referred to as young master by anyone. He was almost exclusively ever Ace or some colourful insult from a close friend.

“Don’t worry about the whole young master thing. Just call me Ace.”

“Alright then, Ace, where are you off to?” It was kind of awkward when he said it, but also at the same time it rolled off his tongue really nicely. It made him want to hear it again. And maybe a few times more after that.

“I’m on my way to the library. I’m looking for someone to tell them about their promotion before Marco can.”

“Oh, well I’m on my way there right now. Perhaps I shall escort you there?”

“Nah, but you can walk with me. Escort seems too formal or sexual.” There were a few laughs that escaped the new guard, but he did his best not to laugh all the way.

“Look I know you’re on duty, but it doesn’t mean you gotta walk around with a stick up your ass like Marco does. This is not a fun free zone. If I make a joke that you think is funny, you’re more than welcome to laugh. And you’re also allowed to fight back if I’m being an ass. Guards are here to protect the castle and the royal family. Not kiss our asses.” A sly smirk crossed his lips. “Now if you were an escort…”

And then he had succeeded in getting the guard to laugh. He had a really nice laugh. And he wasn’t sure why, but he had a feeling that he might’ve been gayer than he had previously thought. Though he wasn’t quite sure of what to think of the scar yet though. It was tough, and he couldn’t help but wonder how it covered so much of his face. He couldn’t help but wonder how much of the rest of him was covered in scar under all that armour.

Okay so maybe he was a lot gayer than originally planned. He just needed to stop thinking about that for the sake of not making this weird.

“Well if I was an escort, I could call you,” He leaned in close and whispered “young master” against his ear before pulling back away snickering. He had unleashed a monster he wasn’t prepared or straight enough to deal with. But at the same time, fuck if he wasn’t funny. They were probably just going to end up more lost. But in all honesty, he didn’t care. It wasn’t as though they could fire him. While Marco said who they hired and fired, Ace held more power over him and in all honesty, getting lost on your first few days was understandable. He was twenty and sill got lost frequently because he got distracted by something or someone, and then had to retrace his steps.

“Fuck, I like you. You’re gonna make a great part of the team. So you stationed down by the library?” He asked, the gears not yet turning.

“Yeah, just found out a few days ago. It’s my third day actually guarding down there. It’s quiet but I kinda like it.”

“I could imagine. No o-“ He froze as information flew through his brain at a suddenly alarming speed. Facts that had been there the entire time now clicking together. “You’re name’s not by any chance Sabo, is it?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Well then have I got some good news for you.”


	5. Chapter 5

After the Prince had made his decision, he had gone off to do something else. He wouldn’t take charge of the position quite yet, because he needed to go through the bodyguard training. But now on his way to his post, he had a lot now to think about.

This was a turn of events that he hadn’t expected in the slightest. He had probably only had a grand total of sixteen hours on the job, and that wasn’t nearly enough for him to feel like he warranted anything remotely close to a promotion like this. To go from just a guard of an already secure wing, to body guarding the prince himself, that was a really big jump to make.

He wasn’t even sure what to feel right now. Because while this was a really good turn of events to have happen to him, there was also a lot of things for him to worry about. Like it meant that his parents would try to get into contact with him now. And really he didn’t want to deal with them this soon. He was hoping that he would at least give him some space to let him climb the ranks a little before they cared any.

They pretended that they enjoyed the reign of the royal family, but to other nobles it was no secret that they hated the royal family. His entire life up to this point had been his family not so subtly trying to force their beliefs on him. Had he not purposefully snuck off on multiple occasion and seen the effects of the current reign, he might’ve almost been inclined to believe them.

Because they really did take care of the working class, and they had really been doing a lot better since the family had taken back the region and moved back into the capital. The people were all doing a lot better, because regardless of how much they hated the fact that a tax system had been more heavily implemented, it really did help the people. The King, being the bastard son who still managed to take the thrown despite the fact that the nobles thought that someone else (like say one of them) would make for a much better leader.

And then that meant that now the nobles got taxed too. No more were the days of just escorting the tax man off of your property with a well-trained servant. Because as much as it seemed as though the king would rather just play with the people and not actually play his role as king, he took his job very seriously. That meant that the tax man got to bring friends in these types of situation. Friends from the castle that usually came armed. They never actually took action, but the fact that they were there made sure that the nobles behaved.

This was only part of the reason that the nobles hated them. Not only were they now no longer exempt from taxes, but now they were also responsible for their crimes. While there were a few officers that still easily paid off, most were on bored with what the king had wanted. And they no longer could have slaves. Now they had servants, and servants had to be paid. The nobles were still incredibly rich in comparison to the common folk, but this was a big deal to all the nobles.

But no one dared say anything about the royal family in public. All the problems they had with them were kept on the down low, and for their very exclusive parties. Parties that up until recently he had to go to with a fake smile and lie through his teeth for the entire duration just to not lose his mind or end up on the street.

Though going back to his status of homeless youth seemed a lot better than what he had to deal with, his hands were tied. If he didn’t do as he was told, a friend that he hadn’t been able to see in years would be searched out, and killed. He would love to still be allowed to be in contact with him, but he was under a lot closer surveillance since his attempt at freedom. And most importantly, “nobles didn’t talk to common street trash”. Words he had heard time and time again from his parents and everyone he had ever spoken to.

They were really a sickening bunch in his opinion. He had seen life on the other side of the wall that the nobles had built for themselves, and it was a lot better. People had these things called facts to back up their pride, and they didn’t just use money. They worked for what they had, and while nobles did have a rather grueling education system, it was nothing at all compared to what everyone else had. But they were still so happy, and they didn’t even need to buy the latest thing for it to be so. They walked around with life and hope in their eyes, and not the dead eyes that he saw around these parts that only seemed to gleam with anything was when they were talking about money or something equally trivial.

The real reason he came here was to be rid of them. To live with people who had other goals than to have insurmountable amounts of money in their possession. People who wanted to do something. Somewhere where he could work and actually have to put effort in and not just peek his head in as he saw fit to make sure that his servants were actually doing their work and not just slacking off like he was. Here he could move and fight, and he’d be with people who wanted to serve the king.

It was hard enough to convince his parents that it was a good idea, but over the years he had been great at telling lies with a completely straight face. It was one of the talents that they had accidentally given him after all those years of forcing him to go to parties that he had no intention on talking to anyone. It was a lie, that while it did have consequences, they weren’t very major.

He had told them that the whole point of what he was doing, was so that he could get in close to the king, and then kill him and his family and take the throne for himself. His parents were immediately on board with his idea, and the first chance they got, they sent him off to join the guards.

Unfortunately, his parents had boasted to their friends, and not one to be outdone, they sent there boys off to try to join the guard. The girls, however, were not. As a noble women needn’t raise her hand to do anything but lovingly touch the man that was chosen for her by her parents. It was truly revolting.

So when he went to training, so did a ton of other noble men that he had had the unfortunate luck of having to get to know through years of pointless parties. It was tiring to hear their conversations and their quiet giggling as they pledged their loyalty to the King every morning. They were shown around the castle to the parts that they would be staying, and all the paths in which they were to take. And for the first few days, they seemed to be doing just fine, and he hated that fact with a burning passion.

Luckily, once they had a few days to get set in the routine of the changing of the guard and all that it entailed, training started. The group of them had been a large one, to the point where even the captain of the guards had to comment on it, but after that first training session, their group had been halved.

Never in his life had he seen such offended noblemen, who had no power to do anything, but to overly dramatically throw their stuff into their suitcases while calling all who stayed “barbarians” and yelling about how none of them would know culture if it bit them in the arse. The captain then proceeded to go into great detail about the crafting process of the weapons and armour they used, comparing it to the creations of sculptors of some of the most notable local work, as well as some from neighboring countries. He also brought up how some of the armor they used is quite similar to the ones found in many a noble home as decoration, except that theirs was of a much higher quality.

Hearing the captain spout off so much knowledge on local art, and reminding them that they were no longer the top dogs in terms of quality pissed off many of those brats to no end. They stormed out of the guards’ quarters sputtering and puffed up like drunk peacocks. It was no doubt one of the higher points of his life so far. There was probably nothing better than seeing a noble asshole being put in their place.

Thinking back to that, he couldn’t help but chuckle again. He probably laughed the most undignified laugh of his life that day. At least his life since he was taken back off the streets, where his behavior didn’t matter to anyone, because he and his friend did what they pleased, regardless of what anyone else thought.

He took his position and stood guard over the quiet library in the middle of the castle, but all the while he couldn’t stop wondering the same thing.

What ever happened to that kid from ten years ago?


	6. Chapter 6

 

 

He didn’t really have a place where he had to be right now. But just because he didn’t have a place to be, didn’t mean that there wasn’t something on his mind after all this bodyguard changing nonsense. There was just one little fact that didn’t sit well with him at all. And that was the fact that it was almost noon, and he hadn’t heard a single noise from Luffy. And that in itself was dangerous considering how loud that idiot was. He was only ever quite like this when he was planning something.

And even if he was so big, he had taken to enjoying a much smaller form lately, and that gave him free roam of the castle again, just as it had when he was little. But that being said, it was really only his appearance that changed. He was still as annoyingly strong, and annoyingly agile. That only left basically everywhere in the castle as a possible spot for him to hide. And regardless of the castle size, he hadn’t heard a guard complain about him causing problems yet today.

Okay so part of that might’ve been because he hadn’t seen all that many guards who were frequent shit talkers on his way around the castle, and he had slept a good portion of the morning, but he still felt like he had a valid reason to be concerned in this mess. This was Luffy after all. He had once sneezed and caused mass panic because he set a guard on fire. It hadn’t killed them, but it caused a lot of panic. It also didn’t help that Luffy enjoyed just stealing any shiny thing that he could get his scaly little hands on. And unfortunately, as a late gift to celebrate his birth, this meant that Luffy was his responsibility. He had been under the impression that originally it had been supposed to be the other way around, but after a childhood of trying to save boots from being gnawed on, it seemed as though he was stuck with a little brother that he hadn’t asked for, and a dumb dog all rolled into one dumb dragon.

He was nothing like Rayleighs, because he was competent and actually gave good advice. But that being said, he was also a couple hundred years old and fought in tons of wars and seen the rise and fall of kings and empires, so Luffy would probably eventually learn to not be an idiot. Though there was a part of Luffy’s dumb charm that made him hope that even if he did go through all of that, he would still be the same, dumb, loveable idiot that he was now.

His problem was just that he wasn’t thinking like Luffy. His thoughts were too human, and not enough like a big reptile who liked to pretend that he was a human. So Luffy would probably be closer to the mess hall, or the training grounds, or maybe somewhere where there was a good sunbeam to lay in. There was a very good chance that he was doing what he wasn’t supposed to be doing, and just lying on the roof of the castle and soaking in the sun. He had made note of how sunny it was that morning when the sun shined in his face and made him want to throw up.

No doubt Luffy was going to make fun of him when he found him, because Luffy got great amusement from the fact that Ace enjoyed going out and getting drunk, and the fact that he was not a particularly graceful drunk meant that Luffy would no doubt mimic it for him so he’d get the full effect. Needless to say that the luxury of basically being the prince’s pet made it so he could get away with a lot more shit than most.

Come to think of it, that fucker could also be out in the woods finding food for himself to attempt to satiate his endless appetite. It pissed him off a little that that jackass got more freedom than he did, and that he sort’ve had the luxury of doing as he pleased because there wasn’t a lot that could hurt a dragon of his age, let alone kill it. But regardless of that fact, if he had gone off to the forest without him, he was going to kick his ass. He really should’ve known better than to just ditch him here in the boring old castle. He was so lucky that he was used to this boring shit that he knew ways to keep himself busy. Unfortunately for the guards, he knew a lot of ways of keeping himself busy.

But first he had to make sure that Luffy did in fact bail like a loser and left him here. If not he’d no doubt have a mess to clean up later or have to deal with something stupid. Because as much as he would love to just let someone else deal with Luffy being dumb and maybe leaving a dead thing somewhere as a sign of affection, if he couldn’t take care of his little brother, than how was he expected to take care of an entire kingdom where people ha equally stupid and plentiful problems. It was both the best and worst warm up for his actual job.

Though it was one of those times where he had hated that the asshole he had the misfortune of calling his little brother was a predator, and a rather skilled one at that. Here he had been looking for him, but here that asshole had been, following for who knows how long. He had only made himself known by tackling him to the ground in an affectionate, yet assholey way that was acceptable only by him. Everyone else would get their ass beaten an inch of their life.

Luffy would only get his a little kicked.

Now on the floor, Ace rolled over, knocking Luffy’s hat off of him, and exposing his weak spot. He grabbed hold of the skin on the little wing-like appendages that were where his ears would be if he were an actual human. And with a little pinch, Luffy was already whining and tapping on the floor as their subtle way of saying uncle. Not everyone could say that they routinely kick a dragon’s ass, but Ace was not most people.

“Wow rude! I told you not to do that. You cheater!” Luffy whined about his admittedly unfair win. He couldn’t really say that he was sorry about it. He felt as if he had deserved to win because he had put in the time and effort to learn about that. He chuckled as he rolled off of him, letting him sit up.

“Hey, not everyone’s gonna fight fair. You’re going to run into assholes like me who are going to exploit your weaknesses. And I’ve told you not to sneak up on me like that. So if anything, I’d say that we’re fair.” And he had told him countless times not to sneak up on him like that with his freaky dragon shit. It was something that no human could do, so it wasn’t really something that he had to worry about from anyone other than him.

“Marco said I could, because you need to work on your perception skills or something. Mostly I just enjoy scaring you like that.” Luffy snickered, his attitude was nothing new. He was always bad at following directions and just kinda did as he pleased and heard what he wanted most of the time. He had to wonder if all little brothers were this much of a pain, or if he was just blessed with this curse. He simply chose to roll his eyes and move on. It was a lot faster this way.

“So any reason you chose to just sneak up on me like this, or are you just an asshole?” It was probably was going to be both, but it was worth asking. Because even if he knew him for literally his entire life, Ace still had no idea what was floating around his head. It was always a surprise, no matter what.

“Yeah.” Another very helpful answer, courtesy of Gol D. Luffy. He should’ve expected nothing less.

“So are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to pull your dumbass little wing-ears until you tell me. Because I’m going to do it unless you tell me.” He threatened. Knowing that Ace was good on his threats, Luffy covered his ears to protect them at least a little bit.

“Well you’re new friend smelled really familiar. And I didn’t wanna put you on the spot and make it weird because you probably don’t know who he is either and it’s a lot worse for a prince to not recognize someone than it is for someone like me not to recognize someone. And I didn’t actually know if I ever met him or if I’ve just smelled him on you before.” Luffy rambled. He had smelled it on him before? Was he talking about Sabo? Because he was positive that he had never seen someone like Sabo before. Because he would’ve remembered a face like his. It wasn’t really a forgettable face after all.

“What do you mean I’ve seen him before? I would’ve remembered someone like him.”

“Well I know that smell, so obviously you’re wrong.” Luffy said, grabbing his hat and putting it back on over his dumbass dragon features. “Now I think that I smell Thatch making something tasty. Later Ace” And before he could grab onto him, he was gone.

At the very least he knew where he was going.


	7. Chapter 7

Now that he was done with his talk with Ace, he had bigger things to worry about. Like the fact that he was hungry. Humans had it lucky that they had their weak little human noses that didn’t smell nearly as good as dragon noses did, cause that meant that they didn’t have to suffer through the torture of having to smell good food from all the way across the castle. He was pretty sure that what he smelled was meat, and that was really exciting.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if he changed forms to get there faster. He wasn’t so big that he couldn’t fit in the halls and doorways. Okay maybe the doorways, but he still fit just fine in the halls. And if Ace didn’t see, then he couldn’t get in trouble for it, because Ace could be a real stick in the mud and would pull on his ear wings again and yell at him for singeing the carpet when he transformed and maybe even also for knocking over a few guards that wouldn’t get out of the way. Both of those were barely his fault and he’d stand by the fact that they were dumb things to be punished for.

But even knowing that it’d get him punished, he still went through with it and transformed anyways. He was engulfed in a thin veil of flames, and broke out of it in the closest a stubby limbed being as he had to a gallop. He wasn’t even going to see what he did to the carpet. Because if he didn’t see, then it wasn’t real and he couldn’t get in trouble for it. That was probably how it worked anyways. Either way he had no time to worry about that now, because there was food he could be eating.

The time he had reached the dining room, he had already gained too much momentum to stop or transform. Instead he had gotten his head stuck in the doorway, and the worst part about it was there really was food, and it was so close he could practically taste it. He even made the effort to try, lolling his tongue out of his mouth in an attempt to reach it, but the food remained out of his grasp. This was truly the worst thing that had ever happened to him.

Luckily it seemed as though he wasn’t the only one mostly in the kitchen, as Thatch was still there. He’d help him because he was a great guy who would give him food sometimes and hopefully now would be one of those times. Then he could help him get unstuck because this was also kinda lame.

“Thaaatch. Meeeeaaaaaatttt.” He whined, hoping to be fed for his troubles. Or at least just fed. Either would work for him.

“I’m sorry but you’ve gotta come in here if you want food. I’m not allowed to bring food around the castle, remember? You’re not really small enough to catch those mice anymore.” That was just rude.

“I can so catch them, and I can’t because I’m stuck. These doors are too small and dumb. You guys need to make it bigger.” It seemed like a valid enough point to him. Surely this would get him fed.

“That’s probably why you’ve been told to stay in your human form. You fit through these doorways a lot easier that way. The rugs stay nice and not burnt too. And your nails aren’t long enough to scratch up the floors when you run.”

“Just give me some meat! I’m hungry!” He couldn’t see it, but his tail was flicking around in frustration. And that was hard enough to do inside because it kept hitting the walls and stuff, and he might’ve knocked a picture off the wall. But that wasn’t the problem at hand. Thatch still hasn’t given him any meat.

“Well I can’t give you any because we both know that you’re in trouble for all this already. Sorry, kiddo, I’m just following the rules.” That wasn’t the answer he was supposed to give. This wasn’t fair at all. He just wanted to have some meat.

If he was in trouble anyways, then it didn’t really matter what he did because he was still going to be in trouble. A little more burned rug wouldn’t matter anyways. He transformed back the same way as he did before. A thin veil of fire enveloped him, and he burst out of it running at him. Hopefully he could catch him off guard and take the meat. Raw or cooked, it didn’t matter. He was a dragon and that meant he could eat whatever he wanted with no consequences.

Except he didn’t get to eat any meat.

He was kept away from his goal by Thatch’s foot that pressed on his chest to keep him away from the food as he kept cooking.

“The cook said no, so no meat for dragons until meal time.”

“But I’ll die before theeen.”

“You’ll be fine you big scaly baby. It’ll just be a few hours. This food is for the part of the guard going on their lunch now. Not for dragons.”

He’d whine more, but then he smelt that smell he smelt before on Ace. It was a lot stronger, so that only meant that the source was coming. He watched as more people wandered into the hall, a few of them stopping to make note of the marks on the rug. They must be new here because that wasn’t all that rare and they were going to have to get used to that happening.

But one thing that was really important about them, was that one of them smelled like that smell he smelled on Ace earlier. Now he was going to have to sniff him out. Personal space meant nothing to him, so it didn’t really matter if he got up close and personal with any of them. All that mattered was that he found out who that smell belonged to. It was very important and he had to know.

“Luffy, down boy.” Thatch said half-jokingly, probably also more serious than he sounded. But he was going to find who belonged to that smell. It was going to happen. He needed to know if he knew that face from anywhere. Because he knew the smell, and if he saw the face, then he’d know for sure.

None of them really knew what to make of this situation, but one of the guys there looked like he was fine with it. That made him an okay guy in his book. It was also good news because he was the one who belonged to that smell. He seemed more interested in the few spots of exposed scales on his wrists and ankles, and also the little wings where he ears should be. What a weirdo.

“Wait, you’re a dragon, right?” He asked, sounding excited about this whole thing. He wasn’t really interested in answering questions, so instead he kept staring at him. He squinted a bit and tilted his head from side to side as he tried to figure this whole things out. He wasn’t getting any answers and that really sucked. No matter how much he stared he came up with nothing.

This was dumb and he was losing interest. He could probably find a better use of his time. Ace could take care of himself on this whole guard matter, and he’d just figure this whole mess out later. Because there was no point in staying in here if he wasn’t going to get answers or meat. That would just be a big waste of his time.

So he walked around the guard guy and climbed up to the window sill. He leapt out, and transformed midair and took off. The good spot to lie in the sun was on the other side of the castle right now and that was a lot easier to get to and bask in like this. It would also be a great spot to hide from Ace until he forgot probably. This would be a much better use of his time than trying to figure out who that guard guy was.

It would bother him until he got comfy. Basking in the sun made it hard to really keep his mind on anything. He’d just nap until it was time to eat. Hopefully there’d be a lot of meat.

And maybe some answers.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

Now he had helped him take a good first step in getting with Ace. Ace had always been an impulsive and petty guy, and right now he was using it to both their advantages to hook the two up. Sabo was a good kid, and so was Ace. Ace needed a suitor soon, so that meant that Sabo would be a great candidate. The king had always been lax with this sort of thing, so that meant that Ace could just go out and choose whoever he wanted. But he did need to find a partner at some point because in general things get a lot tougher when you don’t have a partner to keep all your impulsive thoughts under control.

Judging by how much he takes after the king and how much he sees of himself in him, Sabo would make a good counter balance. Sabo was in general a well-mannered man, and over all had a good grasp on what he was doing. From what he’s seen of him in training and on breaks while he ate, he also seemed to think everything through and plan every move in advance.

And in that was Sabo reminded him of the queen and Marco. It was good for them if they had some help lightening up every now and again, and have a hint of unpredictability to keep their lives interesting. He’s known Ace practically his entire life, and he could safely say that that firecracker was the perfect half to Sabo’s cool collected nature.

These two were literally the perfect match. He would know because he was in a relationship exactly like this, and it was working out great. Marco was the perfect partner in every way, because he matched his dynamic perfectly. And not only did he know by experience, he also knew from watching the king and queen. When you were hot headed and high energy, you needed someone to keep you in check so you didn’t end up doing something monumentally stupid. And Ace was even more hotheaded than his dad was. If there was anyone who needed to keep him in line, he’d put his money on Sabo being the best bet.

There was only the matter of getting Ace to do anything was impossible. Sure he could always resort to dirty tactics, but he was better than that. He’d have to have something to hold onto if all else failed. It was like a back up to a back up to a back up. An absolute final resort, and that was only if things were getting more out of hand then they needed to. Because there was very little that would work against an irrational and riled up Ace.

He was only doing this for Ace’s sake. The fact that it was helping someone else out at the same time was an added bonus. He was sure that Sabo would have no complaints on the matter. The boy was head over heels for him, and this was a sure-fire way to get them together. They could work things out from there. He’d just get them some momentum, and they could handle the rest from there.

Luckily he could get to work now as he cleaned up from lunch. Ace was still loitering around. Marco had chatted with him while his half of the guard ate lunch, about how Sabo had gotten promoted and was starting his training. His training would have started now, and then there’d be a trial run tonight at supper so see how well he could handle it. He was well aware that Marco had rolled his eyes as he joked about how well Sabo was at keeping his eyes on Ace, but it wouldn’t stop him. It never did and they both knew it.

But that aside, now was the perfect time to strike.

He glanced over at Ace, who was still seated at the table. He looked pretty comfortable with his feet up and chair tipped back like that. He had to wonder how closely he was paying attention.

“HEY ACE!” He yelled, busting out into laughter when he watched his friend flail and fall to the floor. He was quick to get up, so there was no harm in it, even if Ace was a little pissed about the ordeal.

“WHAT THE FUCK THATCH!?”

“Hey you know the rule. No feet on the table. Since when have I not enforced that rule?”

Ace grumbled and put his chair back upright, putting his feet on a different chair, angling himself a bit better so he could look at him.

“Better?”

“Much!”

“So did you just want me to take my feet of the table, or did you actually have something to say?” An obviously unimpressed Ace asked. Luckily he wasn’t unfamiliar with grumpy Ace. Basically fluent at this point.

“Yeah, so did’ya get the guard I suggested?”

“Was he the cute blond with the scar on his face and the great sense of humor down by the library? Because if so then yes.”

Well that was great news, it was certainly a good first start. But this would not have been the first time that Ace simply pined over someone, and he could not afford to let this be one of those times. These kids had great chemistry, and no amount of cold feet was going to ruin this. This was three last chances in, and still no progress was made. He needed to do something about it.

“Don’t tell me our young prince has found himself a boyfriend. How scandalous.” His teasing was meant with scoffing.

“As if, he’s just a great choice for a guard is all. I mean he probably knows what he’s doing, won’t be a boring asshole, and is going to be great eye candy all the while. And if something happens, something happens. Right now I’m just his boss so just drop it.”

“So that means you like him. How equally scandalous.”

“Alright listen. Nothing’s going on with us, okay. I barely know the guy.”

“But you didn’t say you didn’t like him. You told me he was hot and funny. You completely brushed over the fact that you weren’t sure he was qualified.” His favorite part was probably watching his freckles disappear in a sea of blush the more he pressed the issue. He was doing a great job of planting the idea. In no time at all would it sprout and take shape.

“Listen.”

“I’m listening.”

There was a pause, as Ace tried to come up with some sort of solution. He watched him the whole time as he tried to no avail.

“Well?” He asked, after he had decided that it had been too long since the last time he poked at him.

“I couldn’t come up with a reason but fuck you.”

Maybe now was time to use that move. It wasn’t really last resort, but it was a surefire way to get the results he wanted. And Ace did seem like he might bolt out of the kitchen at any moment. Time wasn’t really on his side. Now was the time to pull the dirtiest move he had in his arsenal.

“Well it’s probably for the best that you don’t try anything with that kid anyways.” This got his attention. Just as planned.

“Why not?”

“I probably shouldn’t say.”

“Look I know we’re friends and all, but I’m saying this as the prince, tell me why can’t I date him. Is it cause he’s a guard, or is it something else. Just spit it out already!”

It was hard not to smirk, especially since he was playing directly into his hands.

“Well I mean what would your father think? I mean he didn’t want him to be your personal guard in the first place. Imagine what he’d say if he found out the two of you were together? I’d wager he’d lose his mind.” It was impossible to miss the obvious plan hatching in Ace’s head right now. He was obviously going to go do it now.

“Well I’m gonna go check on Sabo, and see how his training’s going. Good luck on your cooking or whatever you’re doing.”

And with that, Ace bolted out to the training yard.

Arguably, his plan was a bad idea. But it wasn’t the worst either. Neither of them were going to make moves, so he just gave them a little push is all. This way they wouldn’t end a relationship before it even began. This was going to work, and he knew it.


	9. Chapter 9

So Marco had been a lot harder to get past than he thought.

In an unsurprising turn of events, Marco was being a stick in the mud, and not letting him just do whatever whenever. And it turned out that he could still neither overpower nor outsmart him. It was just one of those perks of being a million goddamn years old and eternally young. He had all those years of practice, and a million different ways to defend. It was great until it was being used against you. Then it was fucking bullshit and also cheating.

But he was getting off topic. If Marco didn’t end up killing him, Sabo would be on the job as early as supper. Which wasn’t too far off from now, but it still was a lot later than it could’ve been. But seeing as Marco would rather have a stick up his ass, which meant that he had to find something else to do in the meantime.

In the five hours between him leaving the dining room after lunch and then to coming back to it for supper, all five had been spent trying to get into the training yard. Marco was a crafty bastard and thwarted him each time. It was some real bullshit when someone knew all your fighting style, but there was no way for you to know theirs because they had at least seven different ones they could fall back on. Fucking Marco.

But that was enough of that. He had used up all his time anyways so there was no real point in worrying about this anyways. He could smell supper from here, and he knew that if he didn’t hurry up, then there’d be no food left for him to eat. They could try and keep some food up for him, that that food had to be protected from not only Luffy and his never ending appetite, but also from his dad who could eat as much as he could, if not more. And that meant bad things for his food if he was late.

Sabo would meet him there, so that was one less thing he had to worry about as he hauled ass practically across the entire castle. It was a good thing he was in such good shape, because the castle was so impossibly big and winding. It was also a good thing that he could find he way to the kitchen from anywhere in the castle. It was one of the spots in this fucking maze that he could find without problem.

The meal he saw there did not disappoint. Thatch was really the master of his art. Man it must’ve been forever since they had soup. He couldn’t actually remember why though. It was pretty exciting considering how good Thatch’s soup was.

Any meal conversation that would happen were obviously not going to happen. Between all the slurping soup, there was no room for any other sound. And for as good as the soup smelled, it had to taste at least ten times better. He had the perfect bit to broth ratio, and that was a nearly impossible task. But he supposed it was only natural, Thatch was the royal cook after all.

But as he slurped away at his soup, he started to feel an odd sensation. It was one that he was used to, but it was one he couldn’t really do anything about. His body had starting to get pins and needles, and he knew what was coming next. He couldn’t stop his body, and he could feel himself fall asleep. He was vaguely aware of the feeling of hot, and then really cold before he fell asleep. His last thought he could think of was more about his soup, and how when he came too there wouldn’t be any soup left for him. Also that if he drowned in his soup he’d be extra pissed and probably end up haunting their asses forever.

But when he came too, he was not dead. Which was a plus all things considering. Because no one wanted to be a ghost who had to haunt someplace forever just because they didn’t get to finish some really good soup. That was perhaps the dumbest way to die. He was glad that someone at least stopped eating and decided to save him. Which was odd because he doubted anyone could tell over how into that soup everyone must’ve been given how much slurping he could hear. And there was no way that all that slurping could be him alone.

But now that he was starting to come to more, he was starting to realize something. And that was perhaps the oddest thing because given what he could piece from what he remembered just before he fell asleep was what he had assumed was him falling backwards. But he wasn’t on the floor. Their rug wasn’t this comfy in exclusively one spot, and that was under his head.

It was probably time for him to just bite the bullet and open his eyes. He was on his back so he was going to get blinded by light and it was going to suck a lot of ass when he did so. But he couldn’t just lay there forever. He had shit to do and someone to work on seducing to spite his father. Hopefully he was still in there to see him flirt with Sabo. He should probably be done his training and be there.

Upon opening his eyes, he was pretty sure he was staring up at an angel. Because no human being he knew glowed like that. It might’ve just been from the fact that light was shining behind him but it could’ve also been just because he was so beautiful that he was just shining back. And making eye contact was just a good idea because holy shit did he have nice eyes. He had to still be dreaming, and this was just a beautiful hallucination brought on by sleep paralysis.

But it seemed it was real, because he stayed just as radiant as he wiggled his toes. He was real and holy shit. He had no actual words because how does one person look that good that seemed just illegal. How was he supposed to even begin to wrap his head around this?

Oh fuck. He was saying words. He was saying words and he was going to have to respond. He had no idea what he said and this was bad. He couldn’t even hear words, he just saw his mouth moving and this was bad.

“I mean… Probably?” He guessed. Hopefully that was a good enough answer. He was guessing what he asked if he was okay. Which made sense, because it seemed as though he was on his lap and who knows for how long. Fuck he didn’t mean to do that at all. Fuck fuck, he was making a fool of himself.

“So is that a yes? I don’t know what probably means in terms of are you okay.” Okay yeah, he had guess right. He had just done it too late. Fuck he was stupid. He had definitively made a fool of himself. Now he was going to have to find a way to get him to fall in love with him too. This was going to be hard, because now he’s made a fool of himself more than he had thought possible.

“I mean yeah. I do that all the time. It’s not that big a deal since I don’t really leave the castle anyways and there’s always guards so it’s not that big a deal.”

“You aren’t hurt, I wasn’t exactly gentle when I pulled you out of your soup.”

“Nah I mean I’m really tough so you don’t really have to worry about me. Remember I told you that I was tough, it’ll take a lot more than a little soup to take me down.”

“You know, I never thought that when I was told I would be saving you from food that it’d mean from soup. I thought he meant food when you’re off visiting different countries and there’s a chance of assassins.”

“I mean maybe eventually, but we don’t really have a lot of enemies. My family’s kinda in good standing’s with a lot of countries and especially with people in our own country. Like really good. Like probably better than any ruler to date. Am I rambling? Because I think I’m rambling. I’m just.” He got up off his lap. “Gonna go have a shower real quick. Nothing like a shower in the evening I always say.”

“Alright. That sounds like a plan.”


	10. Chapter 10

It was a lot more awkward when he had realized that Sabo had to wait outside as part of his job. Like he was trying to gather himself and this was just counterproductive knowing he was right there. At least the water made it so he couldn’t hear him. That made it at least a little easier to ignore him. It sure as hell wasn’t easy though. Though his shower did make him think of something he did want to do. Something that would either make this a million times more awkward, or a million times more awesome.

They were going to sneak out to that pub he loved.

He was going to get mocked a little for the fact that it was two nights in a row, but really two in a row wasn’t all that bad. If anything it would be more impressive than anything. The guards were usually on higher alert if he snuck out the night before and they would no doubt have different routes for their nightly patrols, but seeing as he wouldn’t be the only one sneaking out, maybe it’d be easier with the intel he could get Sabo to spill. He’d know, seeing as he was a guard himself. It was his job to know the rounds.

Besides, how much trouble could they get in anyways? Sabo would be guarding him like he should be, and he wouldn’t be unsupervised like most nights. It was already so much better than what they had to deal with most nights, because every other night he had snuck out had meant that he was out and on his own, and that always wound everyone up. So if there was trouble to be had, it’d be so much less than had he gone off on his own. Sabo was a cool guy, so he’d probably be cool with it too. It was a pretty good plan after all.

But that had been enough time in the shower. It was cold to the point where his skin was starting to hurt, so that was probably a good sign to get out. He could always turn up the heat, but that ran the risk of him loitering even longer and falling asleep in the shower. Which probably wasn’t a good idea either given that he ran the risk of him falling forward and fucking up his nose again. So now was probably as good as any to get out.

He left the shower, drying himself off with a towel and leaving the bathroom. It was connected to his bedroom, so it wasn’t a terribly big deal. Besides, most the guards were male and it wasn’t like any of them were unaware what a penis was. It didn’t really matter anyways.

Sabo on the other hand, seemed to disagree. It wasn’t hard to see the fact that Sabo was flustered and trying to look anywhere but him. He’d spare him the trouble and throw some shorts on real quick. He just needed shorts. The pub he had in mind didn’t have a rule about shirts, and it was a nice day out so he didn’t really want to put one back on. He wasn’t really much a shirt guy anyways.

“Sorry bout that. Didn’t peg you for the shy type.”

“I just wasn’t expecting you to walk out completely nude. I was expecting you to at least have a towel around your waist.”

“What? On an evening as nice as this one? Not a chance.” He gestured for him to come closer. Being the rule follower that he was, Sabo obliged. Once he was close enough, he leaned in so he could keep his voice down in case someone was at the door listening. No way was he going to fuck this up before they even left. That would be an amateur move if ever he had seen.

“Speaking about how nice the evening is. Wanna sneak out with me and go get a drink? I know a great place not too far from the castle. They’ve got arguably the best beer in the kingdom, and it’s probably the best bar out there. And it’s not too much longer before your shift ends and night staff takes over, right?” Sabo narrowed his eyes at him, but he seemed to go along with him anyways.

“Yes, I am off soon. But won’t you get in trouble for leaving the castle without telling anyone? Because you’re not supposed to do that, especially at night.”

“But here’s the best part. Technically, you’re a guard, so I wouldn’t be going on my own. I’d be with a guard, so we’d both be golden. And if anyone asks, you can just say that you found me and brought me back. It’ll only be a few drinks so we won’t get totally shitfaced, and no one will even notice.”

Then there was a silence, and then a sigh.

“Alright, how are we going to do this.”

“Simple. First you go to the meeting at the end of your shift, you find out the rounds for the night. Once you’re done there, you come back and tell me, then we sneak out and go have fun.”

“Why can’t I just tell someone we’re going?”

“Do you even hear yourself? Like hell Marco’s going to allow that. He’s got a stick too far up his ass to allow any fun. The only way we can do this is if we sneak out.”

“Alright. I’m in.”

About two hours had passed, and he had spent all of it waiting in his room. The better he could set up the illusion he was asleep, the better. It gave them at least some time before people were actually out looking for them. Sneaking was always easier when they weren’t even expecting you.

As promised, Sabo snuck back into his room and kept his voice down and stayed close to him.

“Just follow my lead. I’ve planned it all out. Just trust me.” Sabo whispered, gesturing to follow with a head tilt. It was pretty ballsy for him to be giving the orders, but he wanted to see where this went. He was new here, but he also did know the patrols for the night. He’d give him a hand if they ended up getting lost.

Either way, they were going to get out of here and to that bar, even if he had to take over the operation.

The hallway was near quiet except for the near silent clicks of boots down the hall way. They had to stay close to the walls and in the darker parts of the shadows. Well they probably did have to, but it made the whole experience so much cooler this way in his personal experience.

For a newbie to the castle, and probably to sneaking around like this, Ace was really impressed with how well Sabo was doing. He had done a great job memorizing the paths and patrols around the castle. He really hadn’t slacked in those two hours. He was really proving to be an excellent choice in bodyguard, because he certainly wasn’t going to be a boring one. Thank god.

This had been arguably the smoothest sneak out to date, and he owed it all to the fact that he had a man on the inside this time around. Sure there was some fun in figuring it out all on his own, but there was also a part that just found it so satisfying to just fly through the castle like this. He was going to have to share with him just how impressed he was with him when they got out of ear shot of the castle. Because he really deserved a pat on the back for this one.

Darting in and out of the shadows to avoid the guards always made the drinking afterwards more enjoyable, so he was glad they still had plenty of this with Sabo’s sneaking out strategy. He really did know what he was doing, and he really admired that. He was going to treat him for the night. It was only fair seeing how well he was nailing it here.

They had finally managed to get out from the castle and made a break for the walls. He knew a great spot that was easy to climb over from the castle side, and now he had Sabo to let him back in after. This was the perfect plan.

As they grew further and further from the castle, he couldn’t help but laugh. They had managed a flawless escape, and he had Sabo to thank for that. He gave him a slap on the back so that he knew it too. Naturally that was the first thing to do to celebrate.

“Not bad at all. Dare I say you’re a natural.”

“I got lots of practice hunting as a kid. You learn all about timing and sneaking around. Especially when you end up finding a tiger that has you unbelievably out classed.”

“Oh? You’re gonna have to share that story now. Come on, first round’s on me.”


	11. Chapter 11

While he had most certainly had alcohol before, he had never been to a pub before, nor had he had beer. He’d pace himself and wouldn’t go too hard too fast until he had a feel for the drink. He had a feeling it was going to be a lot harder than wine was. Maybe he’d slow it down and take it easy for tonight. After all, he had seen on multiple occasions from multiple “distinguished” guests that it was pretty easy to get completely shit faced on the stuff and make an ass of yourself. It was pretty lucky that most nobles tended to all get shit faced together at an event, because they usually had no other obligations, seeing as they had servants to clean up their messes.

But he was getting off topic, and he wasn’t going to let the saltiness he held for his past ruin this evening. This was a great chance to get to know the prince better. Ace seemed like a great guy, and he was excited to get to know more about Ace the person, and not Prince Gol D. Ace, son of Gol D. Roger, the Conqueror. Especially since he had been very well informed about not bringing up the king in times like this.

Unsurprisingly, the whole place smelled of ale when they walked in. They were greeted by the whole bar, who all seemed to be well acquainted with him, and excited to see him back. It was a warm atmosphere, and it reminded him a lot of the guards back at the castle. He could only imagine that when Ace walks into a group of guards during a meal that he’d be greeted the same way. Cheers and pats on the back and friendly shoulder punches. They were all talking over each other, but he could vaguely pick up “back again already?” and “couldn’t miss out on the party, ‘eh?”s. He’d keep a close eye on him as everyone welcomed him back in. It wasn’t like he doubted these people, it was more so that he didn’t know who all was in the crowd, and who was and who wasn’t armed and bribed.

Luckily, he was probably safe to assume that people like his parents wouldn’t believe that the price frequently hung around places like this, or even dared to leave the castle willingly. He knew that if they were in his spot they’d be drinking back at the castle or having a slave feed them grapes. And these people seemed almost like a second, or maybe even third family to him.

Unluckily for him, was that the attention was soon turned onto him. He’d rather it didn’t, but he’d still do his job and keep an eye on Ace all the while, just in case.

“So you’re the poor sap in charge of looking after Ace. Well you’re already doing a great job. You’re probably the only one of his guards to have ever made it this far. Now you take good care of him. He’s kinda an idiot and he needs someone looking after him.” One of them said, ruffling his hair before going back to what he was doing. He had a feeling that he was given more of an order than a request, but that was neither here nor there, so he’d carry on.

Ace had found them a table, and it was a fairly quiet table considering where they were. It was a little overcrowded for his taste, but it also felt a lot like being at the castle and eating with the other guards. He wondered if Ace noticed this too. He wouldn’t bring it up, but it had been noted. It wasn’t all that long before a drink for each of them had arrived at the table. He’d look over at Ace, because he didn’t order drinks, and he wasn’t sure if Ace had.

“Don’t worry about it, they already know my order and I asked them to bring one for you too. I’ll cover your tab, don’t worry about it you big baby.” Ace teased, taking a greedy slug of his drink. He’d take a small test sip of his own. It surprisingly wasn’t as strong as he thought it was going to be. He wouldn’t drink that much, considering he did have to work in the morning, even if Ace was hungover to all hell. Taste wasn’t take great, but it certainly had that warm alcohol sensation to it that he had come to know with wine.

“So you gonna tell me about that hunting story or not.” Ace asked, immediately to the point.

“Well which one? I used to go hunting all the time as a kid. I used to sneak out all the time to go hunting with some other kid who used to hang out there with me. I’d let him take the meat because my parents would know I was off doing something foolish in the mountains and drag me back.”

“Wait wait wait wait.” Ace grabbed him from across the table, cutting his story short. He wasn’t sure what really earned that, considering he hadn’t even gotten to any of the good bits.

“Was there a big lady who lived in the forest too? Who lead a bunch of bandits that you guys bugged all the time?”

Now the gears were clicking in his head, and he could hardly believe it either. What were the odds that the kid he was fucking around in the forest, raising hell as they went, was the prince the whole time? He had been wondering for years what had happened to him and he just couldn’t leave and get the information he needed.

“Yes! And the big tiger?”

“Dude holy shit! It’s you!’

“It’s you!” It was awkward to hug over the table, but still they managed to half ass it.

“Holy shit! What happened to you? I thought you just up and fucking died on me.”

“Well you’re not all that far off. Remember when there was that carriage that caught fire back when we were kids? I was the passenger that they pulled out of the wreckage of it. Turns out that my family had some enemies. They didn’t want to do any damage to my family, but they wanted to mess up the baggage train really well one day when we were coming back from the shops.”

“No fucking way. I could probably still have those fuckers jailed and exiled if you want.” He scoffed. A little rude to do to a prince, but they were old friends and Ace wasn’t one to care.

“And let an enemy of my parents go? Not a fucking chance. I’m just hoping the next time someone does something as ballsy as that it hits their cart. Maybe they’d learn a little fuckin humility.”

“Oh yeah, weren’t your parents a bunch a noble assholes?”

“Take my word on it, they still are. They aren’t happy that people that aren’t them are benefitting from the current system. But it wouldn’t matter if they were other nobles or poor people, they’re just upset that they themselves aren’t getting what they think they deserve. I don’t think that they understand that they are. Bunch of dumbasses.” He took a swing of his drink, caring a little less about getting drunk than before.

“But enough about my awful parents, how’s Dadan doing these days?”

“She’s still living in that hut outside of town. She’s still as grumpy as she was when we were kids. Still pissed off that I keep showing up unannounced to bother her. Same ol Dadan.” It was great finally learning that after all these years that not only had the kid he hunted with when he was little was okay, but the woman who half ass kept an eye on them when they were out there was also safe.

“We should stop by and check in on her sometime. Bring her a drink. Bet she’ll cry and say she doesn’t need our charity.”

This got a snort from Ace.

“Bet she’ll call us brats.” He could see it now in his head. The big mountain of a woman bawling as she tried to look away, yelling at them all the while. He could hardly help but laugh at the image. It had been years but he could still see it clear as day.

“We’re both gonna be winners on that bet. So you got a secret tunnel leading out to the mountains from the castle?”

“I mean I used to, but we could just make Luffy give us a lift. He’d probably be excited at any excuse to go out into the woods and eat all the deer he can catch.”

“How’s your younger brother going to help us get out?”

“He’ll just fly us over there. He is a dragon after all.”

“Holy shit! Your brother’s a dragon!?”


	12. Chapter 12

This wasn’t the typical relation he’d imagine to have with his boss. At most he was expecting maybe a few awkward conversations in social gatherings and status reports at most. He should’ve expected otherwise give just who the royal family was. But it was still surprizing to wake up holding the prince in his arms and being the big spoon to his apparent little spoon. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

He might’ve had a little too much to drink the night before, as some of the parts in between arriving at the castle and getting up to Ace’s room were a little bit fuzzy and his head was aching ever so slightly, but he knew for a fact that he did a lot better than Ace. He knew for a fact that nothing did happen, because if it did, neither of them would still be fully dressed. While he wouldn’t call Ace fully dressed, it wasn’t any less than what he had been wearing the night before, so there was nice.

It was also nice being there. He probably still had time before he was to actually start work, but he was sure he couldn’t be faulted for being up here and technically keeping an eye on him. It was his first full day on the job, so he could probably just pass it off as him being ill-informed and he just ended up going straight to Ace in the morning. He’d probably get some teasing for it, but he was a tough guy. Nothing like that would bother him. He knew for a fact that he didn’t get his position just by sleeping with the prince.

The fact that he was even calling it spooning was pretty generous to begin with. It probably fell more into the camp of Ace pulled him into bed and curled up on top of him. It kinda looked like what he had been told that spooning was like, but that could be far off for all he knew. He wasn’t exactly the expert on really any form of cuddling. If it was anything like this, then he wasn’t sure if he’d be all that opposed to it. Aside from having to smell Ace’s morning breath, it was pretty nice.

He couldn’t help but think about how this felt so drastically different from last time he had seen Ace asleep. It must’ve been the distance between them that made it feel more, maybe the word he wanted was intimate? It didn’t feel like quite the right word. It felt too strong for the moment, and almost embarrassing to think about. Close felt too obvious and stupid, maybe connected? Either way, looking down at him in the same bed just left his heart all a flutter. Odds are Ace didn’t think of him any more than a friend or colleague, but he couldn’t help but go back to earlier that day when he saw him get all flustered looking up at him while he was on his lap.

Maybe he did have a shot. Maybe there was a chance for them to end up together. This was probably just him sitting there like some sort of love sick teenager. He was probably looking too far into things. It probably was just him getting an odd angle and mistaking him for someone else, or just wasn’t awake enough to tell yet

 It was kinda embarrassing seeing as though he was supposed to be a guard. Yet here he was, pining over a sleeping man while they shared the same bed. A man way out of his league that he probably didn’t have a shot with. Man it was gonna suck when he ended up marrying some princess or prince from another country. He was sure he wasn’t even the type to be considered a concubine.

His aimless pining would have to be put on hold, as now Ace was starting to wake up. He groaned and scrunched his face up, and all things considered seemed to be doing his hardest to seem unattractive to him. Little did he know that he was already too far gone to be saved, no matter how hard he tried to spare him. He was past the point of no return, and he honestly doubted that there was any saving him from his probably one sided pining.

Ace, never one to do the expected, leaned up and gave him a kiss. For a moment, it was like his whole world froze, and it certainly wasn’t like he was complaining about it. It tasted of morning breath, but he was probably no better and he was almost positive that his heart had skipped a beat. There was absolutely no warning to that at all and he had no time to ready himself.

“Mornin, sleep well?”

A few noises managed to escape him before actual words came. It was more like the sound had been choked out of him and all he could manage were some squeaks and wheezes. But he did manage to get some words out. They weren’t the ones he had wanted, but they would have to do.

“What was that about? Did you just kiss me?” They sounded too much like complaints, but they weren’t. He was just so caught off guard is all.

“Well that’s what you’re supposed to do the morning after, right? If not I’ve been doing it wrong.” Had he really thought that they had really gone that far? And he didn’t seem to mind at all. Was he just as casual about sex as he was about nudity and the human body? Because that was most certainly a lot to take in.

“I don’t think we actually got that far. I think we both stumbled up to your room and then fell asleep on your bed. I mean we both are still clothed.”

Ace lifted up the blanket, checked out their situation before dropping it back down.

“So we are. Well that’s good. If we were gonna bang, I’d wanna remember it. Drunk sex is always kinda a mess anyways.” Ace admitted nonchalantly. This had to be the hangover talking, because Ace just seemed to be saying nonsense. There was no way right?

There was a moment as Ace seemed to take in what he had just said himself, before his cheeks grew red enough to hide his freckles.

“Wait shit I didn’t mean to say that out loud. Son of a bitch.” He cursed to himself, and he just laid there in disbelief. Because there was at least some of the feeling that were mutual. That had to count for at least something.

“Well I mean play your cards right.” Now words were happening without his brain chiming in. At least Ace seemed to think it was funny. He got a loud snort from him in return, before a groan as he rubbed his head.

“You know, I’m glad Thatch suggested I pick you.” It seemed like an odd choice, seeing as he barely knew the guy. He had only just started working there. How would he even know he was any good for the job? He would’ve thought if anyone were to pick him, it’d be Marco, and even then maybe in a few years. He wasn’t sure he was even remotely qualified for it.

“Thatch? What’d he say?”

“He said that my dad hated you, so I mean of course I’d pick you.” More hungover rambling that took him off guard, but this time not in a good way. It was actually a little upsetting.

“So your dad hates me, so you picked me?”

“He also apparently hates the idea of you and I ending up together, so it’s even better.”

“So all of this is just some way to get back at your dad because everyone thinks you’re like him?” He got out of bed, leaving him a little confused as to what was happening. He could feel the rage building inside of him, and he had to leave before he said something he’d regret.

“Wait Sabo, let me explain.” Ace pleaded, grimacing as he sat upright in his bed and trying to hold it together despite being as hungover as he was.

“Y’know Ace, everyone says you’re exactly like your dad. I’d have to say that can’t be further from the truth. So congratulations, you’re exactly like my dad. Selfish and uses others for your own benefit without even thinking of their feelings.”

He couldn’t really say he regretted it, but he did regret looking at Ace when he said it. But he couldn’t stay in there any longer. The damage was done, and he wanted nothing more to do with him, and he had a feeling that it was mutual. He stormed out of the room, and left the guard at the door in charge of looking after the prince. He had to go back to their living quarters and pack his things.

 


	13. Chapter 13

Needless to say, drama in the ranks travels fast. Especially drama involving the prince and one of their own. Especially when it’s someone that Marco had spent a good part of the day training, and they had just finished talking about how good those two were together the night before.

He wasn’t expressly told to go deal with the situation, but the angry look that he had gotten from Marco from the doorway was one that very much screamed “go deal with it, or I will personally peck your eyes out, what did you even do”. It was times like these he both hated and loved the fact that Marco could get across a message like that without words. It was like pulling off a bandage, but a bandage that practically scared him shitless.

So maybe his dirty tactics weren’t a good idea, and he didn’t exactly tell Marco that he had used them, but Marco was not a dumb man. He was one of their generals for a reason, and that reason was not just because he was really strong and an incredibly tough drill sergeant when it came to training guards and troops. He knew what was the one thing to say to get Ace to do just about anything, and he knew that he had chosen Sabo because of him. It wasn’t that hard to make the connections from there. Especially given how Ace liked to make his own decisions, and pick people out on his own. They both knew that there was no way that he’d know the newbie working to guard the library. It didn’t take anyone particularly brilliant to be able to tell that something was going on there.

Marco was a very capable man, so he’d leave him in charge of getting breakfast ready for everyone. It perhaps wouldn’t be his quality of food being put out, but none the less, it was still food being brought out for them to eat. He’s done it before so he should be fine. All things considered, he still had the easier job of the two of them. He didn’t have to go damage control the fine mess he’s created. While he wouldn’t say they were still kids. Ace and Sabo were basically still kids. So that meant that things could get a little dramatic, and all things considered this was mostly his fault anyways. Given the look that he was given, he could tell that things were bad, and that was taking it lightly.

A lot of the time, finding a scorned young guard was pretty easy. Especially when they were all riled up. Most of them went and packed up their bags and then demanded to be part of the mercenary armies of their kingdom to go off and fight battles for their allies. Given that most of the guards there lived a fairly easy life, they were usually really upset and not really thinking straight. Either that, or they simply stormed home to go back to live a life on the farms, or try their hand at politics, depending on who they were and how much power they and their family held.

 In this case he could see why Sabo would be upset. Ace probably stuck his foot in his mouth, and he was pretty sure he had seen both of them stumble up to his bedroom last night. No one liked being used, much less once they’re at their most vulnerable. Hopefully he could talk him down a little and sort this whole thing out. Sabo was a reasonable young man after all. That had been a big reason as to why he had thought he’d be a great match for Ace, who was unreasonable almost all of the time.

Low and behold, the scorned young man was in his living quarters. He was taking his anger out on his belongings by throwing them as hard as he could into the bag he had brought with him. He could see the angry tears brimming in his eyes as both shirt and trouser alike were given the business, and taking the brunt of all the anger in him. Was it bad to say he felt kinda bad for them?

He awkwardly cleared his throat to try and get his attention. It got him to stop briefly, before resuming his vicious abuse of clothing and ignoring him. It would seem a more direct approach would work better. This meant he’d have to enter the range of fire and hope all he was throwing in that bag was clothes.

He sat down on the bed next to the suitcase before he started to talk. That way he’d at least be, for the most part, looking in his direction some of the time.

“So you and Ace had a falling out, huh. You wanna talk about it any? I’m sure your shirts would appreciate it.” He halfass joked in an attempt to lighten the mood. In a truly shocking turn of events it did not. However Sabo did stop throwing his clothes at his bag.

“There’s nothing to say. He’s an ass who fucking uses people to get back at his dad. He doesn’t give a fuck about me and he fooled me into thinking he did. I have no interest in protecting someone who just wants to use someone like my parents do. I fucking came here to get away from them, not to meet someone exactly like them. So I’m done. I’m out. I’m not going to have anything to do with a regime like the one he’s going to have so I’m leaving.” He felt bad, because at this point the poor kid was actually crying. He didn’t mean for things to have gotten as bad as they did, yet here they were and things wre actually awful.

It didn’t really look like the right time to touch him. He seemed too upset to want anything of the sorts. This seemed more like the time to find the right words and comfort him that way. Now he just had to find the right words and not put his own foot in his mouth. The poor boy had already dealt with enough of that kind of awfulness for one day.

“Listen. I know you’re upset about Ace using you, but I can promise that that’s not why he’s with you. I just used it as a little push for him is all. He’s not great at pursing relationships, so I gave him a push in the right direction, and I forgot that he’s kinda an idiot. That’s on me. But he really does like you. You should’ve been there the other day. He was going on and on about how funny you were and how good looking you were. Not to mention he was obviously head over heels for you when he was looking up at you after dinner when he fell asleep. He has it as bad as you. He’s just an idiot is all. A probably very hungover idiot. Just give him a chance. I should be the one you’re angry at anyways.”

Sabo stared him down for one of the longest moments in a while. It would seem that Marco wasn’t the only master of glares that could freeze you down to your very soul. He made no attempt to hide how upset he was about all this, and honestly that was fair. What he had done to him was awful, and no one deserved that. Least of all a good kid like him.

“Just let him explain himself. I promise there’s a good kid in there somewhere. You just gotta push back the idiot curtain a little bit more to see it. Just give him another chance.”

The shirt in Sabo’s hand was tossed back into the drawer. It was with the same anger that all of his other clothes had been whipped into his bag, and the same force, but it was something at least. Even a little progress was good progress.

“Fine. But no more chances after that. He’s on thin ice. I’ll go talk to him after training. Until then, I don’t even want to look at him.”

He sighed in relief. Because that was something he could work with. Ace could get this on the second try. He believed in him. He usually needed a few tries to get it right, and now he knew that “I’m doing this cause I hate my dad” is the wrong answer and never will be the right answer. Hopefully now things’ll work out between the two of them. He could go back and help Marco and let Sabo cool off a little. He’d make him something special because bless this child for giving him a second chance.

“Thanks for giving him a second chance, you won’t regret this.” He said, getting up off of his bed and really doing his best not to run over and hug him right then and there.

“I better not.”


	14. Chapter 14

So far a good portion of his day had been spent moping around his room. He had come out to eat around lunch, but he wasn’t all that hungry. Mostly he just wanted to sit in his room and think about just how he had fucked up so badly in so few words and immediately fucked everything up for probably ever. He had a feeling that this was probably the last time he’d see Sabo too. He’d know all the places he’d go and avoid them out of spite, and there was no way to fix this at all.

He had to wonder where he’d go. He knew that no matter how bad he fucked up, he wouldn’t be going home to his parents. No matter what he did, he doubted that anything could amount to the years they had spent earning that hatred. Though given what he had said and when he had said it, he was probably giving them a run for their money at this point. Who even did shit like that? Hungover or not, there was no fucking excuse for any of what he said. Who brings up the idea of future sex, then talks about how they’re dating them to piss off their dads? Idiots like him. That’s who.

There was no doubt going to be a visit from Thatch or Marco to talk about how young love is tricky and how even when they were young like him they had a hard time with it to. And how you just have to learn from your mistakes and try to do better the next time. And it’d be bad enough if one of them did it. God forbid his father decides that he wants to be the one to talk about young love.

He just wanted to stew in his frustration and just wait out the little pity party he was throwing himself. Hopefully they’d understand because once upon a time, they too were young and in love and they had also dealt with the pain of heartbreak. He hated to think that one day he’d be old and stupid and go on singing platitudes like this to everyone under the age of forty who were young in comparison and thus fell under the category of young. Because not even people who were cool like Thatch were spared from it. What hope did he have, aside from hope that no one around him was ever younger than him and having romance troubles.

At the very least he could trust Raylieghs to bother him on the matter. He was at least a couple thousand goddanm years old, but he wasn’t human or had any interest in dating humans so he didn’t care. That was one of the reasons why dragons were so great. They didn’t have any desire to meddle in your business unless you asked for them to. And Raylieghs being his father’s dragon meant that he had no business messing around in his. Dragons could be such a blessing, even the ones like Luffy that didn’t help a solid ninety percent of the time.

 It seemed, however, that his brooding session was cut short by a knock at his door. Here comes the all the “young love”isms from all the old men in his life that apparently knew better than everyone because they were older than time itself. The question at this point was more of a who was the one who was going to bother him with this bullshit.

He pulled himself off the bed with a groan and drug his feet all the way to the door. They should know just how much this sucked for him, and they should feel bad about dragging him away from his moping. It hadn’t even been a full day yet they could just fuck off. They were just lucky it was a lot more satisfying to tell someone to fuck off right to their stupid face.

But when he opened the door, he froze. Because that was not in fact any of the people he had thought it was going to be. Instead he had been greeted by an equally grumpy Sabo. It was immediately awkward, and he instantly knew what it was like to be Thatch whenever he was in trouble with Marco. Looks like that mocking privilege was lost forever to time. It kinda sucked, but that was not his biggest concern here.

He stepped aside to let Sabo in, and closed the door as he watched Sabo walk to the middle of the room. He was silent for a good few minutes, and that only kept things nice and awkward. It was a shame that he wasn’t great with words to begin with, because he had no idea what to say. Not even the slightest and things were only getting awkward and Sabo didn’t seem too pleased about this at all.

He opened his mouth to try and say something.

“I want you to explain.” Sabo said flatly, before any words could properly form in his brain to make it to his mouth.

“Wha?”

“I want you to explain yourself. You said you wanted to explain earlier. So explain.”

Oh boy. Now he was going to have to make this good. He couldn’t afford to say something stupid. The whole morning had been playing over that scene a million times in his head and now he had the chance to play it out in real life. He just had to make it not dumb so Sabo at the very least, didn’t completely hate him.

He took a moment to compose himself at least a little.

“When I said I liked you because my dad hated you, I didn’t mean that was the only reason I liked you. That was a nice bonus to all the reasons I do like you, and it might’ve been part of why I did go after you” the look from Sabo didn’t look like it meant anything good for him “at least in the beginning. But as soon as I saw you, you were charming and witty and cute. And you were the guard stuck at the library and a noble’s son, so I mean you’re probably really smart too. I was just really stupid is all and said the wrong thing. I’m didn’t mean for it to sound like you were just some pawn. I’m so sorry. I’d be honored to have you back, but I’d completely understand if you wanted to quit right now.”

Sabo was quiet as he thought this over. He had rambled on enough and didn’t have anything else to say. Hopefully this was enough to win him over again. While he would understand, it didn’t mean that it wouldn’t suck if he had ended up losing him over something as stupid as him putting his foot in his mouth and saying the completely wrong thing.

Honestly the silence was killing him, and he was pretty sure that Sabo knew that and that this was part of the punishment for being so stupid and hurting him in the way he did. But the silence didn’t last for much longer, because he finally spoke up.

“I guess what I said about you being like my parents was a tad over the line. They wouldn’t have apologized in private or this sincerely unless their lives or fortune were on the lines. I’m not going to pretend like what you said before wasn’t rude or stupid, so I’ll make things a bit more even. I’ll stay with you so you can spite your father, and I’ll be here despite my parents loving every moment that I’m here with you. How’s that sound?”

He couldn’t help but laugh a little. He had not only forgiven him enough to take him back, but make a joke at him. He still didn’t look completely happy about it, but he certainly looked a lot better and was going to stay.

“Sabo holy shit. I’m so happy I could kiss you.” And he went in for the kiss, but he was stopped by Sabo’s finger before he could actually kiss him, and was gently pushed back. He really should’ve expected it, but he was being nice about it, so there was that.

“Not yet. Maybe later, but not yet. I’m still hurting, and taking this too fast will only end in one or both of us getting hurt. So let’s take things and just enjoy the build up until then. I’m sure a lot has changed in both of us in the past ten years, so let’s just take the time to get to know each other again and we’ll get back up to that point soon enough.”

He hated to admit it, but he was right. He would also take the time to remember the one kiss they shared, as it was a taste of what was to come.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”


End file.
